Acquisition of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) by African costal states has attracted significant attention

The offshore patrol vessel is intended to carry out a range of economic exclusion zone management tasks such as maritime security, border control, routine patrols, and anti-smuggling. OPV also facilitates counter-terrorism and piracy, fishery protection, and effective disaster relief. It can also be used for the protection of natural resources.

In recent years, all costal African nations have widely acknowledged a growing trend in the threat to national security as sea-based. Included is the explosion of maritime piracy, the increased focus on countering smuggling, drug-running and border control, and the rising value of the fishing industry, oil industry and naval trade routes.

The Offshore Patrol Vessel has become one of the most significant emerging tools for coastal protection worldwide. Acquisition programs continue to dominate the immediate priority lists of navy and coastguard commanders, a development that is likely to continue over the next ten years and beyond.

OPVs can be broadly classified into two types:

·        High-end war-fighting vessels with expensive weapon systems and C4I suites.

·        More basic patrol vessels, designed for sustained low intensity missions and equipped with basic gun armaments, standard navigation sensors and built to commercial standards.

The types which a country chooses depends on its particular naval requirements, resulting from its geographic location, political aspirations and intended role of its naval force. However, the majority of OPV programmers are of the cost effective, multi-role variety. These are being used in an increasing number of roles, including fishery protection, pollution control, fire-fighting, salvage or search and rescue (SAR), counter-narcotics, humanitarian operations and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) patrol. The OPVs market is not concentrated; there are many companies such Lurssen, Israel Shipyards, Piriou, TAIS, BAE Systems, Damen, Fincantieri, Navantia, Babcock, acting in the market. But each player can deliver few numbers of OPV.

With over 140 years of experience in shipbuilding, Lürssen builds and offers in the African market versatile and flexible offshore patrol vessels to complete a wide range of missions Lürssen OPVs are multi-role platforms built to provide permanent maritime security in operational areas due to their long endurance and excellent seakeeping capabilities.  

The design of the Arafura class OPVs is based on the Lürssen OPV80 platform. The compact design of the OPV offers enhanced seakeeping characteristics and superior performance. Construction work began on the third of 12 Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) on order for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has announced on 27 March, 2020.

Israel Shipyards announced July 9 the delivery of two OPV-45 Offshore Patrol Vessels to an African navy. The agreement to supply the ships was signed in order to provide significant protection against the increasing threat of piracy in the region. The agreement includes ongoing support and training of the technical and operational teams as well as the creation of a maintenance program within the framework of the company’s Integration Logistic Support (ILS) services. According to Eitan Zucker, CEO of Israel Shipyards, “Since the launch of the OPV 45 vessel at the IMDEX exhibition in Singapore last year, navies around the world have expressed great interest in this new vessel due to its cost-effectiveness and suitability for a wide range of missions. We believe that this vessel will make a significant contribution to maritime border protection in Africa.”

OPV’s should have the following operational characteristics:

- Multiple weaponry configurations depending on the type of threat such as naval guns and machine guns, short-range anti-aircraft missiles, surveillance radar, electronic warfare systems, etc

- Sensors such as x 3D Search Radar, Fire Control Radar, Nav Radar, EO/IR Sensors, ESM / ESM, IFF, Link 11/16 should also be included among its equipment according to the customer needs.

- High endurance, up to 20 days and a range of 8,000 nautical miles

- Deployment of remote equipment to increase the ship’s response and surveillance capabilities (RHIBs,)

- Able to operate and accommodate helicopter

- Ability to carry and stow containers for specific missions: anti-pollution, diving operations, etc

- Robustness, simplicity and easy maintenance

OPVs should be able to conduct search and rescue and humanitarian relief operations. For maritime interdiction operations, OPVs need at least two RHIBs (one for the boarding party, and the other for the security team). Having a helicopter is a force multiplier for OPVs. A

helicopter can be used in every field of naval warfare, as well as peacetime missions. If the ship has a helicopter hangar, it means helicopters can be embarked and used whenever they are needed. If the vessel just has a helicopter platform and not a hangar, it can land helicopters for a short period and could also be potentially used for UAVs in future. The helicopter can be used for temporary missions such as medical evacuation and personnel transfer.

A high-capacity crane on board OPVs enables vessels to transfer any type of cargo to/from the jetty. At sea it can be used for recovery of unmanned surface or sub-surface vehicles, wrecks, transport weapons and ammunition and other cargo to a submarine during stopover. Another important capability is having additional accommodation, which is useful in-migrant rescue, search and rescue operations and evacuation of civilians from conflict areas. A Replenishment at Sea (RAS) capability also gives ships the ability to stay at sea for longer periods.

Recent developments in the OPVs African market are   

·        Israel Shipyards recently announced an order from an unidentified African navy for the delivery of two OPV 45 offshore patrol vessels.

·        Damen Shipyards Cape Town has begun construction on three new inshore patrol vessels for the SA Navy. The vessels will cost a budgeted R1.5 billion and the first one is expected to be patrolling by July, 2021.

·        French shipbuilder PIRIOU has signed a procurement contract for the construction of three OPV 58 S for the Navy of Senegal. Construction of the three vessels will start in early 2020 while their delivery is set to take place by mid-2023

Dimitrios Angelopoulos M.Sc.

Commodore (Rtd)HN, Advisor on Defence and Maritime Security issues